Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Oh fuck, I just heard there has been a shooting at Dawson College, a cegep in Montreal.At this point (about 1.5 hours after it began) there are unconfirmed reports of 16 injuries, and also of 4 fatalities. There may be 2 shooters dead. There are still students in the building, and police think there may also be more shooters in the building. The college is right next door to a shopping mall and there is fear that some shooters may have gone into the mall. The Metro has been shut down and others cegeps in the area are in lock-down.What the fuck is going on?

I was just watching newsworld...I used to live two blocks east of Dawson and I worked one block west of them on Green Avenue in Westmount. I walked by Dawson a thousand times. It's connected underground through a tunel system to the metro and two malls. In the winter that was my route to and from work. Seeing the police searching around Westmount Square fully armed is haunting. I turned it off when the kids came home from school. As I was telling you before the kids going there are 17, 18 and 19 years old. It is tragic that they have to deal with what this stupid shooter has done to them all. He shot himself. Too bad he did not do that first.

I thought of Evelyne when I heard this. I just got back from class and it looks like there is a stand-off still outside with the police. I just heard Layton talking about gun control. This is horrible...

I came across this on CNN and then of course, CBC radio was all over it. Shocking is an understatement.

What I don't understand (among so many other things regarding this sad story) is why these shootings happen in Montreal? There was the one at Ecole Polytechnique back in 1989 and then another one a few years ago when a Concordia University professor went on a shooting rampage.

I certainly hope that those have been injured pull through and my thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.

I remember the police and emergency services practicing outside Dawson College years ago for an emergency. Not quite this one, but they have had experience with this senario before... So sad for the students, teachers, and families.

That's terrible what happened.Downtown Montreal was weird this afternoon, when i took the subway (at McGill, the closest open subway station from Dawson), we could only entered through 2 entries where there were police officers, there were a lot of police officers in the dowtown subway station as well as downtown

Barbara W, those poor kids and their poor parents. I kept thinking, what would I do if that was my daughter's school? CBC kept announcing an emergency number to call if you were trying to locate your kid. I guess U of C is now revisting the emergency plan they have in place make sure it is sufficent.

I was thinking of Evelyne as well, Allison. It's really disturbing to think that someone you know may have had the chance, although faint, of being caught up in that.

I was thinking the same thing, Karen - Montreal has had more than it's share of school shooting in the past couple of decades. Just a horrid coincident, I guess.

You know that we were worried that somehow you were there, Evelyne? Thanks for letting us know you weren't. I don't know if we'll ever really get any answers about why this happened. But I'll bet they will ban mohawks and trenchcoats from schools again (as if that will solve anything).

No, you're right, Hilary, this is completely incomprehensible.

It's quite a shock, isn't it, Mel? Although I would almost rather have heard about it only once it was over, rather than be glued to the radio listening to ever-changing and conflicting reports.

It's mind-boggling, Stephanie. And now there are 2 dead, I understand, including the shooter.

I don't know, John, I certainly didn't feel in the slightest in danger of becoming desensitised today. Quite the opposite, I was sickened (and still am). I can't imagine feeling any differently in two years' time.

There are actually two fatalities, as it turns out, Ben, one of whom is the shooter, the other a female student. Although I noticed the headlines in the paper this morning do not count the shooter, which is rather understandable I guess.